1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to hand controls for bicycles and like vehicles and, more particularly, to hand control couplings which provide for multiple axes of adjustment.
2. Prior Art
The basic purpose of the present invention is to provide a coupling for handlebar controls which allows positioning of the controls about multiple axes of rotation. Although the present invention will be described with respect to interfacing conventional controls to a bicycle handlebar, it is understood the present invention is equally applicable to all other classes of equipment which use hand controls which must be adjusted to meet the requirements of the operator. Conventional bicycles exhibit a variety of handlebar shapes and styles. Irrespective of the style of handlebar or the orientation of the handlebar tube, none contribute more than the minimum ability to adjust mounted hand controls.
In the typical assembly described in the prior art, hand controls are mounted upon cylindrical handlebar tubes. Irrespective of the control (e.g., hand brake, shift lever, bar end, etc.), positioning of the control is limited to two degrees of freedom. The conventional controls described by the prior art utilize a clamping sleeve to directly secure the position of the hand control along or about the axis of the handlebar tube. By releasing the clamping sleeve, the control may be positioned along or about the longitudinal axis of the tube. Unfortunately, this limitation fails to address the requirements of most operators. The inability to provide for lateral adjustments (i.e., rotation about an axis angularly deflected from the longitudinal axis of the handlebar tube) is an inherent defect in all assemblies disclosed by the prior art.
The present invention substantially resolves those problems displayed by conventional handlebar systems. A collar is deposed about the handlebar tube which is adapted to receive the hand control. The collar comprises a split engagement member having an inner bore adapted to slidably engage the handlebar tube. The outer surface of the collar is a partial spherical section the surface of which substantially intersects the surface of the tube. The hand control housing is provided with a clamping sleeve, the inner surface comprising a partial spherical section which is adapted to slidably engage the outer spherical surface of the collar. When a clamping force is imposed on the sleeve, both the position of the collar and the hand control may be fixed at a selected location on the handlebar tube. Like the devices taught by the prior art, the present invention provides the ability to position the hand control along and about the longitudinal axis of the handlebar tube. Most importantly, the present invention permits the hand control to be positioned about multiple axes of rotation which are angularly spaced or deflected from the longitudinal axis of the tube.